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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rush — hurry
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. tube — the underground
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. court — of a king
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. date — the fruit
  18. tube — a container
  19. kid — child
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. plane — in geometry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com